Occidental Arts & Ecology Center

10/09/2026

Our recent Beaver Coexistence in Action field tour introduced 55 policymakers and state leaders to the effectiveness of our coexistence pilot projects at the Cosumnes River Preserve and a neighborhood in the Sierra foothills. The event offered state leaders a firsthand look at successful coexistence in sites typical of some of California’s most climate impacted and beaver conflict-prone regions: the Central Valley and the Sierra foothills.

We hope that the strong show of support from influential tour attendees is poised to keep beaver coexistence moving forward as a well-established part of California’s climate and conservation strategy.

Read the full story!
https://oaec.org/news/new-field-tour-brings-beaver-coexistence-to-california-state-leaders/

With deep appreciation to our:
tour sponsors California Trout Defenders of Wildlife Wildlife Conservation Network and Resources Legacy Fund

project partners: Cosumnes River Preserve, Connected Ecology HELIX Environmental Planning, Inc., Beaver Institute, Inc. and the BeaverCorps, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Fearless Advocacy

guest speakers from: California Natural Resources Agency, Assemblymember Damon Connolly, Wildlife Conservation Board, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, HELIX Environmental Planning, Connected Ecology, and the Cosumnes River Preserve

Photo Credits: Brock Dolman/OAEC

09/08/2026

Check out our latest feature: “The BeaverCorps,” which recently aired on This American Land (PBS) and NBC broadcasts nationwide.

This short chronicles a day in the life of a BeaverCorps trainee—a cohort most likely to be found studying directly in beaver-engineered waterways, installing coexistence devices to curb overeager beaver behavior, and learning how to best engage local communities in thoughtful dialogue about human-beaver conflict.

As part of our own Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program, we’re growing California’s first workforce of Beaver Coexistence Professionals in partnership with the Beaver Institute’s BeaverCorps Training Program.

Find California’s beaver coexistence professionals at calbeaverhelp.org and watch the film to learn more about the BeaverCorps and our California-based cohort.

Link in bio.

Video Courtesy of Environment News Trust.

Beaver Institute This American Land kate lundquist Brock Dolman

09/02/2026

Now Accepting Internship Applications for 2027!

Every year, OAEC hires a cohort of enthusiastic interns to live and learn at OAEC for approximately 11 months (early February through mid-December). In exchange for 24 hours per week of work, all interns are given a private, cozy place to live, community meals, and use of all OAEC facilities (hot tub, swimming pond, etc). Interns receive a $825 monthly stipend and generous vacation and sick leave. Interns take part in the life of the residential community and participate in community cooking rotations. We work hard and play hard! Join us in the new year!

Job descriptions and applications can be found in the link in our bio 🔗

07/15/2026

We're hiring! OAEC is currently seeking two talented and enthusiastic individuals to join our team:

🐝 The Retreat Program Manager is a key leadership position at OAEC, supporting environmental and social movement leaders in feeling welcome and inspired when they come to OAEC for their organizational retreats, trainings, or alliance meetings. They oversee all aspects of the Retreat Program and serve as the primary programmatic contact for retreat groups. This is a full-time, on-site, non-residential position.

🌱 The Retreat Program Assistant is supervised by the Retreat Program Manager and serves the Retreat Program through a combination of administrative and logistical support and hands-on retreat hosting. They serve as the lead contact while groups are on-site and provide essential support to the Retreat Host team. This is a full-time, residential position living on-site at OAEC.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis – early application is encouraged! Click the link in our bio for full job descriptions and application instructions 🔗

07/14/2026

Tickets for the 23rd Annual Chautauqua Revue are on sale starting TODAY 7/14 at 10am! The show runs each night September 10th, 11th, 12th, and September 17th, 18th, 19th, with a matinee on September 12th.

Buy tickets through the link in bio or go to our website: https://oaec.org/events/performances-more/

See you at the show!

07/10/2026

With so many meadows in need of restoration across the state, how do we know where to start?

Join our friends at the California Process-Based Restoration Network next week for a Tools and Techniques workshop called Where to Work: A Watershed Prioritization Tool for Meadow Restoration.

This online offering is led by Megan Ireson of Scott River Watershed and Adam Cummings of the Watershed Research and Training Center and is perfect for process-based restoration practitioners or those curious about the field.

See you on July 13 from 4-5:30pm on Zoom.
https://zoom.us/j/91511475377?pwd=3jPlAMoObbgcbydLxEAw8KEyDbgIPW.1



CalPBR Network is a fiscally sponsored project of the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center.

06/29/2026

Did you miss our recent "Beaver Coexistence in California" webinar?

Watch the recording to hear more about financial and technical assistance, case studies, best practices from certified beaver coexistence professionals, and how human-beaver coexistence offers benefits to communities throughout California.

Watch the webinar here!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O4He_6UYJY


California Department of Fish and Wildlife Beaver Institute, Inc.

This webinar is made possible by the Nature Based Solutions: Wetlands and Mountain Meadows Grant Program from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The California Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program's 2n...

06/26/2026

This spring, Brock Dolman, Wildlands Program Director, presented our new Found Gully Model at an event celebrating five years of community-centered collaborations between the University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute (DSI) and 11th Hour Project grantees, including OAEC.

The Found Gully Model, created with Jim Pivarski, Staff Data Engineer from DSI, co-locates eroded upland gullies with adjacent forests whose overstocked trees and ladder fuels could be used to restore the incision through gully stuffing. This process-based restoration technique simultaneously rehydrates landscapes and creates fire-resilient forests.

Finding gullies across California’s millions of acres of dense, overstocked forests is like finding a needle in a haystack, and this Sonoma County pilot is a first step towards making Fuels to Flows methodologies like gully stuffing replicable at larger watershed scales across the state.

Ready to use the Found Gully Model?
Try it out and learn more here:
oaec.org/news/found-gully-model-launches

Photo Credits: Benjamin Stemen/University of Chicago Data Science Institute

The 11th Hour Project

06/10/2026

Last chance to join us for our Summer Food Forest Course June 21 - 26! We’ll explore the world of agroforestry through a combination of lectures, storytelling, and hands-on activities.

There are only 3 spaces left. Register through the link in bio 🔗

Thank you to Austin Meyer for the epic videos from last year’s course.

06/09/2026

Are you experiencing conflict with beaver on land you manage?

Join us this Wednesday for the “Beaver Coexistence in California” webinar to find out how beaver coexistence offers practical solutions for land managers and owners across the state.

This online event will feature presentations by coexistence experts and practitioners and timely updates about technical and financial support resources that are available to Californians.

Please bring your questions! We anticipate ample time for discussion.

The webinar takes place this Wednesday, June 10 from 9-11:30 am.

Register here: https://oaec.org/news/beaver-coexistence-webinar-2026

Photo Credits: Brock Dolman/OAEC




This webinar is made possible by the Nature Based Solutions: Wetlands and Mountain Meadows Grant Program from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.